A woman from South Carolina has been found guilty of murder and has been given a lengthy prison sentence, according to a news release from the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Stacey McClintock Catoe was convicted of murder on October 15 by a Kershaw County jury, as stated in the release. The solicitor’s office announced that Catoe has been sentenced to 35 years in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
According to the release, the conviction is linked to the tragic killing of 55-year-old Brenda Coates.
Around 9:30 p.m. on June 17, 2018, deputies from the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office were called to a shooting incident at the intersection of U.S. 521 and Catoe Road in the Westville area, according to the solicitor’s office.
Deputies found Coates dead after shooting him in the neck, according to the release.
During the trial, it was revealed that one of the passengers in Coates’ car requested her to stop so they could retrieve something from the back of the vehicle. The passenger recounted that Catoe then approached Coates’ car, rolled down her passenger window, and fired a single shot before quickly leaving the scene, as stated by the solicitor’s office.
Catoe’s husband was reportedly the passenger in Coates’ car, as stated by deputies. Prosecutors have revealed that Coates and Catoe’s husband were involved in a romantic relationship.
Deputies eventually found Catoe at a relative’s house, where she made an attempt to conceal her car in a wooded area. Upon searching the vehicle, law enforcement officers discovered a .380 pistol as well as a discharged cartridge casing.
According to the release, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division testing has confirmed that the projectile recovered from Coates’ vehicle was fired from the .380 pistol found in Catoe’s car.
According to the solicitor’s office, an investigation that involved phone analysis revealed that Catoe had been sending threats to Coates in the weeks before the shooting. Unfortunately, there is no information available regarding the specific details included in these threats.
According to an obituary, Coates is survived by her mother, two daughters, two sons, and six grandchildren, along with other family members.
Assistant solicitors Dale Scott and Michael Bradbury were responsible for prosecuting the case, according to Kershaw County court records. On the other hand, Columbia attorney Jack Swerling represented Catoe as his lawyer.
